What is the best sander for wet felting and nuno felting?
This is a common question as many of us see professional and Russian felt makers using a powered sander to wet felt and nuno felt larger projects.
Some people even use them for smaller projects. If you choose to use powered sander for wet felt and nuno felt projects, make sure to follow safety protocols.
Safety While Wet Felting with a Sander
Do not permit water to pass through the sander = you must always use protective barriers to keep water out of your sander while wet felting.
Some felters report burning up the motor from water passing through during the felting process.
Make sure that water cannot run down the cord and to a power outlet. To ensure this, plug the cord in above table or counter height.
If that is not possible, create a "drip loop", by having the power cord (+ extension cord), loop through something that is higher than the table or the counter.
Recommended Sander for Wet Felting
We have tested a few sanders for: Ease of use, Effectiveness and Sound while wet felting.
Our recommendation is this model of Makita Finishing Sander available on Amazon, which is where we got ours.
Here is what it looks like on Amazon.
This is a higher end model, currently priced as under $200.
Compared to its less expensive counter part, here is what we like about it:
- MUCH quieter than the cheaper model...which made us NOT want to use it, or to wear ear protection while doing so, which is not very pleasant.
- MUCH easier on the hands. The variable speed permits you to run this unit at slower/faster speeds. We found the low speeds perfect for our use, and that resulted in reduced hand strain compared to the cheaper unit
The vibration of less expensive model was pretty hard on the hands for wet felting.
- Heavier, = helps in felting and reduces hand strain. Because the unit is weighty at 6.2lbs compared to 3.3lbs, you can rest the unit on top of your project and gently guide it to where you want it.
*Even in the early stages where you might Pick UP the unit to move it to a new spot on your felting project, the weight while resting supports felting.
Compared to its less expensive counter part, here is what we like about it:
- MUCH quieter than the cheaper model...which made us NOT want to use it, or to wear ear protection while doing so, which is not very pleasant.
- MUCH easier on the hands. The variable speed permits you to run this unit at slower/faster speeds. We found the low speeds perfect for our use, and that resulted in reduced hand strain compared to the cheaper unit
The vibration of less expensive model was pretty hard on the hands for wet felting.
- Heavier, = helps in felting and reduces hand strain. Because the unit is weighty at 6.2lbs compared to 3.3lbs, you can rest the unit on top of your project and gently guide it to where you want it.
*Even in the early stages where you might Pick UP the unit to move it to a new spot on your felting project, the weight while resting supports felting.
The less expensive version is currently under $75, however ours sat in the cupboard until getting donated due to noise and vibration intensity being hard on the hands.
The cheaper model looks very similar, so take care in getting the correct one.
The cheaper model looks very similar, so take care in getting the correct one.
HOW TO USE A SANDER FOR WET FELTING & NUNO FELTING
We know how "we" felt with a sander, and we have had the pleasure of hosting many professional felters and seeing how they like to use it.
For the most part we all agree that it is imperative to have a plastic barrier on top of your wet felting project.
For some felters, that barrier is a thin plastic sheet, for some it is bubble wrap.
The foot or plate of the sander usually is a hard plastic and may have "teeth" or ridges to grip onto the sand paper,
it also has a clamp to hold on to the sand paper. This plate should be covered so as not to snag your felting project.
You can clam thin or thick wet felting resist, small bubble wrap if you are using plastic, or one of our friends glues a thin yoga mat to her sander when wet felting.
it also has a clamp to hold on to the sand paper. This plate should be covered so as not to snag your felting project.
You can clam thin or thick wet felting resist, small bubble wrap if you are using plastic, or one of our friends glues a thin yoga mat to her sander when wet felting.
A sander is often used in the early stages of wet felting for form the initial "soft felt".
Rolling may or may not take place after using the sander on your wet or nuno felt project, it really depends on what you are felting or what the instructor recommends if you are taking a class.
Some felters also use it later on in the felting process. For us, it is most often used in felting larger projects to form the initial soft felt and avoid excessive hand rubbing.
Some felters also use it later on in the felting process. For us, it is most often used in felting larger projects to form the initial soft felt and avoid excessive hand rubbing.
Make sure to unplug your sander when not in use!
This page includes affiliate links for which we may earn a small commission on if you purchase through Amazon. These commissions are very small and do not cost you extra, but they do help fund our charitable causes.
Please know that we never recommend or sell products that we do not stand by 100% and use ourselves.
Please know that we never recommend or sell products that we do not stand by 100% and use ourselves.